On Tuesday morning’s CNN Newsroom, new co-hosts John Berman and Poppy Harlow repeatedly expressed their amazement at “extraordinary” and “remarkable” video from the British Virgin Islands of former President Barack Obama kite-surfing.
The Virgin.com video first was the topic of discussion at the end of a hard news segment featuring The Washington Post’s David Swerdlick and Real Clear Politics’s Rebecca Berg. Out of the blue, Berman informed them to “bear with us for one moment” because “[w]e just got a look at some photos that both of us found were extraordinary.”
Harlow quickly opined that the video has “made our morning” while Berman explained that the kite-surfing took place at Branson’s Private Island Necker “and these two guys are just having a blast.”
Awkwardly, Berg was asked to chime in and thankfully, she just rolled with it:
Well, I think any of us could agree a two-term president deserves a little break after he is finished with that stressful, taxing job. George W. Bush, of course, had his painting as his hobby. This is a little bit more extreme, but it looks like they’re having fun out there.
Berman oozed that he couldn’t help but notice “a heck of a smile from the former President” and thus “[h]e seems to be enjoy his retirement.”
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Near the end of the 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour, the show couldn’t help but circle back to Obama. Harlow quipped that “Obama’s new mantra” appears to be “[w]ork hard, then play hard.”
Berman quipped following highlights of the Obama video that “[s]o apparently that means work hard for eight years as President and then go kite surfing with Richard Branson in the Virgin Islands.”
“On a Private Island Necker. Invite only to there with Richard Branson, but that was the President of the United States. There's Richard Branson right there. This is a pretty remarkable video...Not every day you see a former President kite surfing,” Berman added in introducing correspondent Alison Kosik.
Koskik reported that it’s “[n]ot every day” you see this and “really makes you realize that he was able to leave those political tensions of Washington behind and say hello, paradise.”
Remarking about the combination of kite-surfing and foil-boarding between Obama and Branson (which morphed into a friendly competition), Berman joked that “I have to say like that's a first world problem if you're choosing between kite surfing and foil boarding, whatever it is.”
The marveling at their beloved former President then concluded:
BERMAN: You know what he's not thinking about there? The debt ceiling.
KOSIK: He’s not thinking about Trump.
BERMAN: He’s not thinking about budgets.
KOSIK: He’s not thinking about President Trump.
BERMAN: He's not thinking about anything other than kite surfing. Alison Kosik, remarkable pictures. Thanks so much.
HARLOW: He needs to unwind. Thank you very much.
Here’s the relevant portions of the transcript from February 7's CNN Newsroom with John Berman and Poppy Harlow:
CNN Newsroom with John Berman and Poppy Harlow
February 7, 2017
9:13 a.m. Eastern
JOHN BERMAN: So, guys, on a much different note, if you’ll bear with us for one moment. We just got a look at some photos that both of us found were extraordinary.
POPPY HARLOW: They made our morning. Let’s just say that.
BERMAN: The former president of the United States — well, that's not him. That's Richard Branson. But there’s President — former President Barack Obama who, visiting with Richard Branson, you know, the Virgin empire leader.
HARLOW: Learning how to kite surf.
BERMAN: Yeah. Down at Necker Island and these two guys are just having a blast. Apparently the President went thereafter he went to Palm Springs and if you can see these photos, there's Richard Necker kite surfing. Pretty soon, you’re going to see the former President trying it, and I’m not sure if there's any deeper meaning here other than it’s —
HARLOW: But I think he — didn't Branson say the President won? Maybe he let the President win in their kite surfing competition? Rebecca Berg, what do you think?
REBECCA BERG: Well, I think any of us could agree a two-term president deserves a little break after he is finished with that stressful, taxing job. George W. Bush, of course, had his painting as his hobby. This is a little bit more extreme, but it looks like they’re having fun out there.
BERMAN: And it’s a heck of a smile from the former President. He seems to be enjoy his retirement.
HARLOW: And I had read that he had told Branson, ‘look, the security — they didn’t let me. I couldn’t surf at all for eight years.’ Couldn’t endanger himself, you know? So now he gets to hang loose.
BERMAN: That looks pretty dangerous. I couldn’t do it.
(....)
HARLOW: Work hard, then play hard. That appears to be President Obama's new mantra as he is out of the Oval Office.
[VIDEO OF OBAMA KITE-SURFING]
BERMAN: So apparently that means work hard for eight years as President and then go kite surfing with Richard Branson in the Virgin Islands.
HARLOW: On a private island.
BERMAN: On a Private Island Necker. Invite only to there with Richard Branson, but that was the President of the United States. There's Richard Branson right there. This is a pretty remarkable video. Alison Kosik joins us right now. Not every day you see a former President kite surfing.
ALISON KOSIK: Not every day. You know, when you see this, it really makes you realize that he was able to leave those political tensions of Washington behind and say hello, paradise. Not such a hard move to make when you're invited to Sir Richard Branson's Private Island right in the Virgin Islands. You’re looking at the video there. We just learned out of this visit on a blog that Branson wrote about saying that at the end of January, President Obama arrived. This is, of course, after he went to Palm Springs after President Trump was inaugurated and he arrived telling him a story that just before he took office, he was surfing in Hawaii and made a dangerous — and had a dangerous wave and, obviously, almost got into trouble. And his security detail says, Mr. President, that's going to be the last time for the next eight years you're going to surf. So, during his time in office, President Obama didn't get a chance to go out and do these extreme water sports, let alone surfing. So, now that he's had the chance, he went ahead and once again, was invited by Branson to his Private Island and they kinda had a friendly wager. You know, we had President Obama wanting to take up kite surfing and Branson wanted to take up something called foil boarding which is what you saw him kind of above the wave there. And they figured at the end of his trip they'd see who could go the farthest. Guess who won?
HARLOW: I think, you know, Sir Branson might have given the President the pass and let the President win?
KOSIK: Um perhaps, but it looks like President Obama went farther than Branson on their new extreme water sport activity.
HARLOW: What about the First Lady? She was getting down, too. Right?
KOSIK: I don’t know. She's not in this video. Doesn't mean that she didn't get into it.
HARLOW: I think we have some — we might have some photos of that.
BERMAN : I have to say like that's a first world problem if you're choosing between kite surfing and foil boarding, whatever it is. What is it called?
KOSIK: Foil boarding. It's when you are above the water. You’re kind of on this hydrofoil below the water so the board can leave the surface of the water. In my opinion, foil boarding is like surfing on steroids. Kite boarding? Not so much.
BERMAN: You know what he's not thinking about there? The debt ceiling.
KOSIK: He’s not thinking about Trump.
BERMAN: He’s not thinking about budgets.
KOSIK: He’s not thinking about President Trump.
BERMAN: He's not thinking about anything other than kite surfing. Alison Kosik, remarkable pictures. Thanks so much.
HARLOW: He needs to unwind. Thank you very much.
